During the renovation process, there are many decisions to be made, from your new wall and floor tiles to paint colours, cabinetry, benchtop finishes, fittings and accessories. It can often be quite overwhelming having to visit several different showrooms in order to make these selections, especially when you are pressed for time and have to make some quick decisions! Thankfully, with many famous tile stores now offering online portals to their customers, you can select and purchase your tiles online, saving you time and energy during your home renovation project.

Buying tiles online is incredibly simple. With so many new and exciting options available to us the process is now much more streamlined, allowing you to select your new tiles from the comfort of your own home with qualified assistance offered online as well as sample delivery services available to help make your decision that much easier.

Creating A Colour Palette

Before settling on your ideal tiles, it is important to carefully consider your chosen colour palette and how you will use this in your new design. The best place to start when creating the perfect colour palette is usually the flooring; are you hoping to find the perfect dark coloured floor tiles or do you prefer to use a patterned design instead? Are you looking for a serene, natural stone look floor tile or would you prefer the rustic textures of a timber-look tile? Making a choice on your flooring will allow you to easily work through each remaining element of your colour palette, making the process much more straight-forward and simple to achieve.

Caption: Creating a consistent and unified colour palette often starts with selecting the perfect floor tile and working your way through the remainder of the space, from wall finishes to cabinetry, benchtops and fittings and finally to accessories.

Browsing Tile Catalogues And Creating A Shortlist

Your next step is of course, to have a browse of online tile catalogues in order to find your preferred options that will best suit your chosen colour palette, creating a shortlist of your selections as you go. This process allows you to easily remove any tile options that don’t quite suit your vision and effectively helps in narrowing down your options, making it much easier to find the perfect fit.

Most good tile stores will also include lifestyle images in their product descriptions where you can see exactly how the tiles will look when installed in a real space. These images also offer incredible inspiration for your own project, offering ideas as to what sorts of colours and finishes can be paired with the tiles themselves, making them immensely useful in your research. It is also crucial to take note of the specified tile sizes and finishes. These details should be listed in each tile’s description and provide excellent information that will assist you in making your final decision as you have the option of selecting from various different tile formats that will best suit your needs, as well as from various finishes such as matte, high gloss or outdoor tiles for example, that include a grip feature that can withstand the elements.

Caption: It can often be quite challenging to picture certain tiles in a room and to find coordinating colours that will work well with your selection. Most tile stores include perfectly arranged lifestyle images that offer an example of what types of colours and finishes you can pair with your selected tiles.

Arrange An Online Consultation

Part of the tile shopping experience in a traditional showroom is discussing your options with the staff, taking advantage of their wealth of insider information and expertise. This can still be achieved when shopping tiles online however, as most good tile stores will also offer a digital consultation service to their customers where you can take part in a virtual showroom tour and have the opportunity to ask questions and receive expert advice. An online consultation is an excellent service to take advantage of if you are unable to physically visit the showroom as you can still receive the best information and tips from the staff in order to make the best decision for your project.

Ordering Tile Samples

It is always recommended that you order samples of your shortlisted tiles prior to placing an order for your project. There are many factors that can change the appearance of a tile when selecting from an online catalogue such as lighting and photography styles for example, as well as the computer monitor’s screen capabilities. Having a sample piece of the actual tile will help you make a more informed decision, allowing you to test the tile in your own home using your own lighting sources. Place the tile sample in the area you are renovating and see how the surface finish and colour reacts to the space’s natural and artificial light. Make sure to view it at different times of the day as the altered natural light may once again affect the appearance of the tile and can play a role in your decision.

Caption: Patterned floor tiles provide a wonderful feature in the home. Sample tiles are usually smaller pieces that have been cut from a full size tile and while these offer an accurate representation of the colour of the tile, they will of course only show a small portion of the overall pattern. On these cases, it is recommended that you request lifestyle photos of your selections from your chosen tile store in order to gain a better understanding of how the tile will look once installed.

Shopping online for your new tiles is an amazingly simple process that still allows you all the same benefits of physically visiting a tile showroom. You have the freedom of browsing online at in your own space, allowing you the time to carefully consider the various options. With most good tile stores now also offering virtual consultations and sample delivery services, it has truly never been simpler to make all of your renovation choices from the comfort of your own home!